Ebuyer DVD 830

Advantages: Good value, excellent picture quality, easy to use
Disadvantages: Nothing of significance

...My first venture with a Hard Disk/DVD recorder was the Lite-on 5045 but after several problems I returned it for a refund. Undeterred and after further research I purchased the Samsung HR702 from Ebuyer.com at the beginning of March 2006 for £205. With 80 gigabytes the hard disk capacity is smaller than the Lite-on but still gives an ample 34 hours recording on short play. It records on DVD-R, DVD-RW and DVD-RAM but will not record on DVD+RW or DVD+R although, contrary to the manual, it will read DVD+RW. The HD/DVD recorder arrived on time and was set-up and working within 10 minutes. Mastering the remote control took a little longer with frequent reference to the large (134 page) manual but after a little practice I became reasonably competent with the various functions and options. I found the manual clear and much better than... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Good Value Product
Disadvantages: None

...This is a good quality product that offers good value for money in the short term. Although as with most electronic products, the value will deteriorate over time and should be anle to get a cheaper version next year. It incorporates most of the latest features and technology that is currently available on the market. After using this product for a few months I have not so far come up against any reliability issues but only time will tell. I therefore have to recommend the product. Technical Details DVD, DVD+/-R and DVD+/-RW, (S)VCD, DivX, MPEG4 movies Plays MP3/WMA-CD, CD and CD-RW music Zero Bright Dot screen for optimal screen quality 8.5" TFT colour LCD display for high quality viewing Up to 3 hours of playback with a built-in battery... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Excellent playback and sound quality, really portable, long battery life, supports lots of formats
Disadvantages: The price and the really small remote control

...Keeping 2 kids under the age of 7 entertained on long car journeys to and from the Lake District (a 3 hour drive) used to be a real pain. My wife tried personal stereos but this resulted in arguments over the CDs and I wasn't keen on spending £100+ on MP3 players especially when they rarely listen to music. Only one thing was guaranteed to keep them quiet and that was gluing them to TV screens. This resulted in two Philips PET830 portable DVD players being bought from an online store for £169.99 each. Justifying such expenditure was easy for reasons I will explain in detail. The players are very light (just shy of 1kg) and can be carried around by children with confidence. They won't cause them to start moaning about their arms aching after a few minutes and thanks to a great design feature the screen hooks onto the back of car seats... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful